A rocket shoots toward the sky, and a T. rex suddenly stands close enough that kids edge backward. Elsewhere, a young scientist gleefully watches a homemade volcano bubble over.
All of these experiences are possible with the right science gifts for kids.
A great science gift can turn a simple question of, “How does that work?” into a fun-filled afternoon of building, experimenting, reading, and discovery. Abacus Brands science toys combine hands-on activities with augmented reality, virtual reality, and educational content.
What Makes a Great Science Gift for Kids?
Give a child the right science gift, and the questions keep coming long after the wrapping paper hits the floor. Some of the best toys turn natural curiosity into active play.
When shopping for kids’ science kits and toys, look for qualities like:
- An interesting subject: What already makes the child light up? Start there, whether it’s rockets, animals, dinosaurs, oceans, or the human body.
- Hands-on activities: When kids build, mix, dig, model, and experiment, they turn information into action.
- More than screen time: Technology works best when it’s adding another layer to physical play instead of replacing it.
- Room to explore: Choose gifts featuring multiple experiments, activities, or experiences.
- Age-appropriate challenges: Abacus recommends its educational science kits and VR toys primarily for ages 8-12, but kids as young as 5 can participate with plenty of parental assistance.
What Are the Best Bill Nye Science Kits for Kids?
Does the child on your gift list like to ask, “Why?” and then test the answer? The Bill Nye science kit collection offers plenty to investigate. As they build, experiment, and read along with Bill Nye the Science Guy, kids also use AR and VR to take each lesson beyond the page.
Bill Nye’s Rocket Lab
Three, two, one—blastoff!
With Bill Nye’s Rocket Lab, kids get to customize and build a rocket, then send it toward the stars. VR goggles accompany a 40-page booklet, adding fun experiments and an exciting trip inside Bill Nye’s virtual Rocket Lab.
Best for: Kids who love rockets, building, and hands-on science, recommended for ages 8-12.
Bill Nye's Virtual Reality
Rocket Lab VR
What's cooler than learning about Rockets with Bill Nye? Building one and blasting it up into the sky! This Rocket activity set includes a 40 page book and VR goggles to teleport into Bill Nye's Rocket Lab in virtual reality!
Shop NowBill Nye’s Space Lab
The universe gets so much bigger when kids explore black holes, planets, asteroids, and rovers.
Bill Nye’s Space Lab combines an 85-plus-piece activity set with a 92-page book, VR goggles, and virtual space exploration. Favorite projects include building a planetarium, modeling Earth’s layers, and making ice crystals.
Best for: Space-obsessed kids who enjoy experiments and building models, ages 8-13.
Bill Nye's Virtual Reality
Space Lab VR
Climb aboard Bill Nye's spaceship as we explore the cosmos with dozens of hands-on projects and activities, including VR goggles to blast through the atmosphere in virtual reality! This 75+ piece set and "Toy of the Year" Finalist includes everything you need to get started right out of the box!
Shop NowBill Nye’s VR Science Kit
Some budding scientists have no interest in specialization. They want to try a little bit of everything.
Packing more than 30 experiments into a 50-plus-piece set, Bill Nye’s VR Science Kit features an 80-page project book, AR instructions, and VR experiences. The kit takes kids from hands-on experiments to settings like volcanoes and crystal caves.
Best for: Curious kids who want broad, experiment-heavy science play, designed for ages 8-13.
Bill Nye's Virtual Reality
Science Kit
Discover science with Bill Nye "The Science Guy" in this interactive science kit! 50+ piece set includes an 80 page project book loaded with 30 hands-on experiments, including VR goggles that teleport you into Bill's lab in virtual reality!
Shop NowWhich DK Discovery Gift Sets Are Best for Young Explorers?
DK Discovery Gift Sets pair illustrated books with activities and VR experiences. Each set offers kids a variety of ways to explore their favorite subjects.
- Oceans!: The Oceans! Discovery Gift Set includes a 96-page DK book, more than 30 VR experiences, and scratch art. Kids get a chance to explore sharks, whales, reefs, habitats, and conservation.
- Dinosaurs!: With the Dinosaurs! Discovery Gift Set, kids can explore an 80-page DK book and VR experiences, then chisel out and build a 14-inch T. rex fossil.
- Human Body!: Combining an 80-page DK book with an anatomical human model, AR X-ray poster, and more than 20 VR experiences covering the body, the Human Body Discovery Gift Set is a great choice for aspiring biologists and physicians.
- Galaxy!: The Galaxy! Discovery Gift Set includes 80-plus pages of content along with more than 30 VR experiences exploring black holes, the International Space Station, and more. Kids can even build their own planetarium models.
- Animals!: When they play with the Animals! Discovery Gift Set, kids can discover wildlife, habitats, behaviors, and conservation through an exciting 96-page DK book, more than 40 VR experiences, and scratch art.
Best for: Curious kids ages 8-12 who love exploring oceans, dinosaurs, animals, space, or the human body with books, activities, and VR.
What Other Science Gifts Can Kids Explore?
Since when does science stay inside a single laboratory? Young learners might find their next obsessions buried in prehistoric rock or bubbling from a volcano. They might even float through empty space to somewhere beyond Mars.
National Geographic VR Extinction
National Geographic VR Extinction guides kids as they explore one of prehistory’s biggest mysteries: What happened to the dinosaurs? The set brings the lesson to life by combining VR with a 40-page interactive book, a dinosaur map, and a 20-inch T. rex fossil.
Best for: Kids interested in dinosaurs, fossils, and Earth’s prehistoric past, ages 8 and older.
National Geographic
VR Extinction
Experience the cataclysmic end of the Age of Dinosaurs in Virtual Reality Extinction! Discover dinosaurs like never before as you step into their prehistoric world in stunning virtual reality! Come face-to-face with the towering giants and fearsome predators that once ruled the Earth—just before their sudden and mysterious extinction. Witness the massive asteroid impact that changed the course of history. Explore the science behind the mass extinction event that wiped out 75% of all life on the planet. Includes a 40-page interactive book and a 20-inch Tyrannosaurus rex fossil.
Shop NowSTEAM Lab Volcano Lab VR
The STEAM Lab Volcano Lab VR features a 40-page vividly illustrated book and materials for kids to create a volcano that actually erupts. VR expands the lesson, highlighting volcanoes around the world—even Olympus Mons on Mars!
Best for: Hands-on experimenters who love building, erupting, and watching science in action, recommended for ages 8-12.
STEAM Lab
Volcano Lab VR
Prepare to explore the world of lava mountains like never before, with this interactive virtual reality activity set! Includes a 40 page book with detailed illustrations along with plaster to mix and erupt your very own volcano! Then use the included VR goggles to visit volcanoes around the world in stunning virtual reality!
Shop NowProfessor Maxwell’s VR Universe
Some kids have questions bigger than Earth. Professor Maxwell’s VR Universe takes them on a trip exploring planets, stars, asteroids, and black holes. The 21-piece set includes an 80-page interactive book, more than 30 unique science projects, and a set of VR goggles.
Best for: Kids who want both space experiments and immersive exploration, designed for ages 8-13.
Professor Maxwell's
VR Universe
Prepare to explore the universe like never before, as we embark on the most epic journey through space to discover black holes, asteroids, stars, planets and more in virtual reality!
21 piece set includes dozens of projects and activities, along with VR goggles and book to explore the universe!
How Do You Choose the Right Science Gift for a Child?
You don’t need the biggest box to give the best science gift. Look for something that matches the interests and play style of the child opening it.
- Start with their favorite subject: Is it dinosaurs, space, or biology?
- Match the kit to how they play: Does the child like to build, read, experiment, or use VR?
- Consider how much variety they want: Does the child have a single focused interest, or are they excited about multiple activities?
- Check the technology and age requirements: To use VR goggles, compatible smartphones are required.
After you’ve narrowed the choices, pick something that leaves room for another question. After all, one experiment has a funny way of leading to another.
Turn Their Next Gift Into an Experiment with Abacus Brands
A science gift can start in so many ways. Maybe it’s a fossil buried in rock, a volcano waiting to erupt, or a rocket ready to launch.
Next thing you know, curiosity takes over. Kids aren’t just hearing about science anymore. Now they’re stepping inside the lesson as they build, experiment, and test ideas for themselves.
Abacus Brands features a huge collection of gifts for kids that combine hands-on discovery, AR, VR, and plenty of reasons to ask, “What happens next?”
Virtual Reality Educational Kits
Transform screen time into active learning with interactive VR goggles, hands-on activity books, and engaging STEM projects for kids.
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